A road by a different name
by Supernal Studios
Summary: Of all the fights and struggles that lay in their midst, few could have ever predicted that a single book of knowledge long forgotten. Was by itself with the potential to destroy everything fought for, died for, and suffered.


[ Authors Note: I do not own Final Fantasy 7, or Bleach. If you hate spoilers, I would suggest refraining from reading this. I do include the Japanese episode progression in parts of this. Nothing more will be said after this, please enjoy. Story takes place 2 years after Dirge of Cerebus in FF 7, and at the beginning of the Arrancar Saga in Bleach. ]

Edge Town

_"I will...never be a memory.."_

Blue eyes strained to open from the morbid dream, of a battle fought a year ago. The lone wolf shifted from the mattress of feet planted slowly to the wooden panels. As Cloud hunched over slightly, then rose from the bed his back arching fully. He stepped to the window, pressing a finger over the drape, as those ominous blue eyes inspected the skies. Satisfied that there didn't seem to be any immediate danger, from a certain individual, he stepped back shaking his head.

"I wish I hadn't said to stay in my memories."

Foot-steps echoed up the steps as an ebony haired woman, in a sturdy, but revealing black skirt stepped inside. Crimson hues glanced in Clouds direction briefly as he stood there watching the inhabitants of Edge go about their day. She merely crossed her arms as a slow exhale drew a long pause between them. It was almost as though she knew something was going to take him away.

Though she knew it might come at some point, in all the years she knew him. It was just something she was accustomed to.

"How long will it be this time?"

Without glancing at Tifa, Cloud never seemed to exhibit the symptom of guilt. In knowing that he'd tell her yet again he was going to leave again. It really didn't help matters that he didn't know this time. Not from lack of hiding something, or running away, but from something more ominous that remained to be seen.

"I don't know.."

"Will you be back?"

"Yes."

Turning to look her in the eyes he glanced at the one person who knew him better, than anyone else. Slowly Tifa walked forward, standing a breath away from him, as the sun painted her in a serene light. She only smiled; the emotions behind it couldn't easily be seen as sadness, or acceptance. Just that good-bye smile that he would remember or at least she hoped. One arm bent behind her back, as she shifted to one leg.

"See you when you get back, Cloud."

With few leads, and no culprits to even suspect it seemed like Cloud was chasing ghosts. Checking his material armlet one more time, he stuffed a few swords into the retractable compartments of Fenrir. Denzel and Marlene were both off being kids, which in itself was a big help to leaving. Ever since the Stigma had been cured, due in part to the teams dearly departed friend. Life had come back to Edge, children at play men and women alike living life with renewed vigor. Even President Shinra pushed to have the day marked as a calendar holiday.

Cloud turned his attention back towards Tifa one last time as she stood at the front door of the Bar. There was little more that could be said at this point, putting some goggles over his eyes; he revved up Fenrir's engine after giving Tifa a simple nod. Cloud brought the motorcycle around facing due north. Rain clouds were moving in from the west, telling him it would rain due to early spring rains.

"Call Cid and tell him to meet me on the Edge Highlands."

The Edge Highlands were surprisingly lively nowadays, the plant-life here was beginning to recover, wild grass replaced barren wastes. Cloud sat down on Fenrir in the rain-storm that had been torrential rain soaking the landscape for two hours. Cloud looked over the horizon to the west as a sturdy vessel flew overhead, and descended to a nearby hill. Cloud throttled the engine, and sped to a lowering dock ramp at the back of the ship. Inside decorations of decorative orbs in black and white were strewn about the lower deck; Cloud looked about after removing his goggles, and putting them in his coat. Dismounting from Fenrir he met Shera clad in a simple lab coat as usual. What caught him by surprise was the fact that she had a diamond ring on her finger. As well as the banner of a celebration; "Welcome to the wedding of Shera Tomo, and Cid Highwind."

"Hello Cloud, how is Tifa?"

"Fine…congratulations…but I never thought you and he wou—"

"Oh, he may be arrogant around everyone else, but alone, he's a wonderful man."

"Hm.."

Cid climbed down the cock-pit ladder with an annoyed expression on his face, he wore his normal pilot jacket, and slacks. Cid's hands clenched into a fist as he walked over and stopped next to Shera. The Airship began to ascend to the air as the engine hummed with the smell of oil and combustion. Cloud postured himself against a nearby rail as the deck shook from g's of climbing through the air.

"You jackass if Tifa hadn't called me to give you a ride, I would've landed the Highwind two on top of you. Then scraped you off the deck and dumped you in the ocean."

Cloud didn't really seem to care; in a manner of speaking he was glad he thought asking Tifa to do that. It was a shame that he had to call on Cid, just when he was getting married. A low sigh came from Cloud as he considered what to say next.

"Sorry, but something –"

"Where in the hell are you going kid?"

"..Just to the Forgotten Capital."

"Fine, we'll be there in the hour, go to the conference room, shut up and eat some god damn cake."

Karakura Town

Ichigo wore walked through wearing grey blazer and jeans as he walked downstairs inside of the Kurosaki residents. Holding his book-bag with his left hand, his eyes were thinned in a serious expression, as if to expect danger at anytime. Much to his expectation, Isshin his father fired a swift round-house to Ichigo's face. Ichigo ducked in the nick of time to block with his left hand, and then send a quick right hand to the inside of his father's thigh knocking his face into the door-frame.

"Agh! –thunk- …good…morning…son."

Stepping over his father's body Ichigo looked over to Yuzo and Karin, giving them a wave. As they prepared their lunch, Ichigo picked up his lunch-bag when Yuzo smiled up at him and waved

"Good morning, Ichigo!"

"Hey."

Karin for the most part knew the routine, in light of that she took more after her brother, in the silent exchange. Though in large part, she cared to some degree, as her eyes glanced down at Isshin still on the floor. She got up while closing her eyes and walked past Ichigo picking up Isshin by the shoulders, and carried him slowly to the couch. Where she just let him lay flat then turned to Ichigo as he glanced at him when he was about to head out the door.

"Take it easy on Dad he's not getting any younger you know."

"See ya."

Ichigo walked down the road towards Karakura high school, when he was greeted by Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. They were somewhat quiet, though Orihime broke the ice as the group walked towards the school.

"What a beautiful day, it's so nice to be able to go to school, without having to worry about an Arrancar, or Hollow attacking. It's pretty nice to have a worry free day without having to look over our shoulders, to make sure no one is out to kill you!"

Ichigo looked at her with a raised eyebrow, Chad said nothing and continued, then Uryu chimed in after that, while pushing up his glasses.

"Now that you mention it, does seem kind of relaxing, thanks to the fact that the patrols keep the Hollow population at a minimum."

Ichigo closed his eyes a minute then sighed as they made it through the front gates of the school, kids in the neighborhood walked into the commons.

"Yeah well, don't forget Aizen is still out there, so don't let your guard down just yet. He's probably just giving us a false sense of security, it's not over yet."

Chad nodded to that, even Uryu agreed as they all walked into the commons, then headed to their lockers. Along the way through the hallways the two stopped abruptly, seeing a familiar women walking through the hallway wearing the grey school uniform. She looked at them with clear blue eyes in a serious expression that almost like a badge of office she carried.

"Rukia, you're back but I thought you were going to remain in the Soul Society?"

Rukia stepped before Chad and Uryu standing before them as though she had important business to attend to. Her expression remained steeled to the look on the face of the two people who had gone to the Soul Society to save her from death not long ago.

"Chad, Uryu. The Soul Society sent me here on orders directly from Head Captain Yamamoto. Something is missing from the Soul Society."

Uryu looked to Chad a second then pushed his glasses up along his nose his eyes thinned in a serious look. Chad blinked a moment before his face resumed looking at her as though his face had been chiseled in marble.

"I am sorry, but you'll have to be clear about what you mean. Surely you have more to describe what that missing 'something' is?"

Rukia shook her head and politely added.

"I do but it's not for anyone to hear. The fact is everyone who lives in the Soul Society was found not guilty of possessing the item in question. Therefore it fell to me to come back to the world of the living in order to ascertain if you posses it. But at the same time I knew that there was no reason for you to steal this item, when your goal was simply to rescue me from the execution. But unfortunately duty dictates that it should be me to clear your names, or kill you if you stole the item."

Chad and Uryu looked at Rukia with a silent look, deep down they knew that those orders were quite serious. There could be no doubt in her words that an order from Yamamoto was not anything that could be ignored. The fact that the Soul Society was willing to forgo any trial into the investigation into a missing 'item' seemed to make this item in particular exceptionally dangerous.

"What can we do to help Rukia?"

With a sigh Rukia simply looked to them with a calm and collected fashion, despite the order of an investigation into her friends. It took all that she had to not be friendly with them as she had before she left the world of the living.

"I need you to bring Ichigo and Orihime to Urahara's shop, I'll explain everything once we're all there."

Later at Urahara's shop, everyone had gathered into the rest-chamber standing a close knit circle. Tessai stood behind Urahara, both had serious expressions on their face as Rukia stood in front of them. Ichigo, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu looked to Rukia with curious expressions as Ichigo spoke first trying to get to the bottom of what this meeting was about. Behind them Yoruichi stood behind them in her human form near the door, as if to block anyone from leaving, or entering.

"Welcome back Rukia, I thought you were staying in the Soul Society. What brings you back all of a sudden?"

Rukia looked to Ichigo as if to dismiss the question, but give her friend a suitable explanation. She closed her eyes a minute to draw a breath and give her cause for returning to the world of the living.

"What I have to say here about my return cannot be known to anyone except, to those who were involved in you rescuing me from my execution."

Opening her eyes she looked at Ichigo with the mantle of duty composed across her face as though it were a matter of life or death.

"Ichigo, did you or Orihime at any time during the time you were in the Soul Society take anything from the Soul Society Library?"

Ichigo and Orihime, shared a a look as Orihime shook her head then looked at Rukia with the same curious expressions. Chad and Uryu looked at one another at being given another hint to the puzzle that Rukia was holding back. Ichigo broke the silence to draw the conversation back to the point that was being meticulously hidden.

"To be honest Rukia, neither one of us even knew that the Soul society had a library, until you told us just now."

Rukia studied their expressions briefly before she seemed a little more at ease to explain the situation to them.

"I believe you, not for lack of trust but I can understand the reason why you wouldn't have went to the library. Despite the fact that none of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads wouldn't have imagined to look for you there. Since very few people in the Soul Society even know where it's located."

Orihime nodded a to Rukia's own fact by adding to the subject at hand.

"If me and Uryu had known there was a library in the Soul Society that would be one of the first places we'd go to find a map. Assuming they keep maps there in the Soul Society Library."

Ichigo not one to really let the conversations point remain hidden from the group added to the discussion.

"Even so, if we had known that the Soul Society had a library, we wouldn't be in the business of stealing anything, even if it was a map that we needed in the first place. In fact had me and Ganju not met Shinji, we probably would have thought to do the same. But honestly Rukia, what's your point in bringing all the cloak and dagger after we risked our lives to rescue you?"

Rukia smirked a little at Ichigo as she seemed comfortable in holding all the information over his head. With a slight nod of her head she sighed allowing herself to remain calm against the situation at hand. Despite the fact that Ichigo knew she completely meant business from the way she looked, and spoke. Chad and Uryu remained quiet knowing some of what she had to say was nothing to grow complacent about.

"Alright, alright. The reason that I came back from the Soul Society is because a book was taken from the library."

Ichigo twitched a second and opened his mouth before Rukia could continue her explanation.

"Seriously, you came back from the Soul Society because a book was stolen, and think we took it?"

Rukia twitched with annoyance at the short-sided answer and shout at Ichigo.

"You idiot! I came back from the Soul-Society to clear your names, and not make enemies out of you!"

"Yeah! Well you have a funny way of showing it behind all the cloak, and dagger semantics your throwing off!"

"Please it's not like I can ignore an order from Head Captain Yamamoto to investigate a book stealing!"

"What? Yamamoto sent you to kill us if we stole a book, that's just insane!"

"Quiet!"

Yoruichi added standing behind Ichigo, her expression usually docile metaphorically looked razor sharp. She looked at the two of them as though they were bickering children. She didn't seem interested in letting Ichigo allow his attitude to complicate the discussion. Orihime, Chad, and Uryu seemed to skirt away at the menacing look Yoruichi was giving them.

"Ichigo, Rukia didn't come here to kill anyone, Yamamoto probably sent her here as a gesture of good-will to clear your names. But regardless of what book it is, we need to come together and learn what purpose the book serves. If anything Aizen himself could be the accomplice behind the missing book."

Ichigo and Rukia shared a look for a minute before Ichigo nod allowing Rukia to continue.

"The fact of the matter is, the book itself was stolen from the forbidden section in the Soul-Society's Library. However, because of the level that the book was stolen makes finding it all the more important. Even more alarming is the fact that the book itself was sealed in a 99th level Kido is what has Head Captain Yamamoto is worried about. The reason for this is, only one book warrants such significant protection against theft, or even looking at the forbidden text. As for what the book says, no one in the Soul-Society knows since it was sealed probably within days of the inception of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. Every Captain after that was told never to allow this book to be taken, and never to look into the book itself because of the dangerous knowledge it held."

Everyone in the room seemed silent as though another threat lay beyond their midst threatening to take them all. Ichigo seemed slightly alarmed at what Rukia herself had just revealed Urahara and Tosei shared a look that spelled worry. Uryu broke the silence for the rest of them.

"Considering the level of danger, we're fortunate that Yamamoto was not swift to judge us the accomplices of stealing the book. In fact, it seems perfect to assume that perhaps Aizen himself stole the book for himself if he had knowledge of the books contents."

Urahara added to the going assumption by alluding to what he knew of Aizen's character in short detail.

"You're right Uryu, in fact I wouldn't put it past Aizen to steal a book that no one knew had ever read, just to say he did. Aizen has always enjoyed having an edge over people, whether it was power, or knowledge. So it's safe to assume that Aizen probably took the opportunity from the chaos in the Soul-Society to break the seal, and steal the book. But now the problem is, what does the book say, or are we too late to stop Aizen's next move?"

An eerie silence took the room as there was no definite answer to the question at hand.

–-

Meanwhile, in the void of the planet.

Darkness as far as the eye could see, without light, warmth, or solace; emptiness held this world in its grasp never allowing freedom to reign. This place was a prison to those who tried to break the planet through nefarious means, it was hell in a way but one could assume hell would hold others, this place held no one to converse with. Was this truly hell? Who could say for certain what this place truly was, albeit by definition this place was opposite of the "Promised Land" So maybe in a way it was hell in a way, but if that were true why was it empty?

Sephiroth walked the stretch of this life-less void alone pondering the same thing over, and over again. Still he couldn't figure it out no matter how often he tried. The first time he had come here he had no clue if this was indeed hell, or something else. He couldn't see anything feel anything except for a surface, the likes of which escaped the concept of physics. He was heading somewhere but where, he didn't know. Sephiroth seemed to ponder if he was even dead in the first place. He could feel his body, his coat, and his sword with him in this strange world, yet he knew they were in the physical world still. How managed to retain a spiritual form was beyond his current ability to reason, but not farfetched to know he was a walking spirit.

But there was something there in the distance it blended in with the void so perfectly, it almost went missed by Sephiroth's gaze. Rounded corners, and jet-black doors seemed to blend in perfectly with the blackness surrounding it. Sephiroth blinked in surprise as he stood in front of the door, his foot pressed against something. Reaching down to pick the strange object up he could feel cold-leather against his hand. The small weight of the object instantly registered as a book in Sephiroth's lifetime. Briefly memories of the past inundated his mind, making Sephiroth chuckle in spite of himself. Why the book was in such a dark place Sephiroth couldn't really begin to fathom. Although at the same time it seemed ironic that a door-way and a book would be the only objects in this strange void. As he looked to the door, Sephiroth thought he could almost see lettering around the top of the door-frame.

"How fortunate that I would find in this world the only two objects occupying the same space, in my own void."

As Sephiroth could only wonder what the door led to, seeing it as a way for his spirit to leave this lackluster prison. He considered it another chance to escape and see what would await him on the other side of the door. Although as his hand pressed against the handle to the door itself, Sephiroth looked over his shoulder and smirked.

"It would seem mother has left me an exit, but don't worry, _I'll return in time for the reunion._"


End file.
